losing weight during maintenance

[JuJu82]

Hi, i just wanted to find out if anyone has managed to lose up to another 5kg by just being sensible on maintenance and doing exercise? I will be doing refeed next week but i'm actually still about 5kg off my goal weight. I know, not ideal, its a long story but my consultant and i had long discussions about it and she believes this is best for me right now, and is better than the alternative.
Soooo.... I would like to think that there is a chance i could still lose that 5kg after i have begun maintenance by sticking mainly to cohen's food and keeping off the carbs for a few weeks?

[ConnieK..]

In short no ... it has never worked for me.

I have never been able to lose in maintenance without going back to at least very close to plan, which is extremely hard once you are out in the wild!

Connie

[Tantravaya]

I know someone who recently lost 5kg on refeed. They started refeed about 5kg above their desired weight because they had stalled weight loss and were hungry. It dropped off easily on the refeed.

[Kohinoor]

Hi Tantra,

I know someone who recently lost 5kg on refeed.

So do I !!! I wonder if it is the same "someone"? If not, that makes two at least.

From what I read, many have lost more as the body receives more sustenance. But, when on maintenance? Well, NOW we are getting into semantics.....

What do I mean? Well, to me, anyone on Maintenance has ALL of the tools of Cohens, but NONE of the restrictions (5 hours between meals, and xxxg of protein and yyyg of veges, etc.)

So, if one on Maintenance DECIDES to do a "tune-up", reduces their meal quantities to somewhere around (say) refeed Day 2 amounts, and they lose any built-up weight that way, well, didn't they "Maintain" their way to a lower amount? There was no need for them to re-do refeed, but they may CHOOSE to.... Isn't that also part of Maintenance? Just using the tools, really.

If you accept the above analogy, then I CERTAINLY know some people who have MAINTAINED their way to lower Kgs !!

Koh

[Hayley23]

Hi JuJu,

I'm still a little new at maintenance (about 7 weeks) but I think it could definately be possible to lose on maintenance. I've found that I actually have to be careful my body doesnt start to lose weight on maintenance due to the fact that I still often eat very Cohen's friendly when I'm at home. For example, if i've been out and had a few treats, then follow with a day of Cohen's food but MUCH bigger portions then my plan ones, I find that I don't gain weight and sometimes even LOSE some! I have to make sure my portions are big enough to maintain! It is amazing how being on the plan teaches our bodies what to do with the right foods - provided you followed your program and refeed precisely of course. I think if your eating Cohen's foods along with the new veges and good fruits combined with moderate exercise it could definately be possible. However, all our bodies are different, so it will just be trial and error for you. Hope this may have helped a little.

Hayley x

[Shanara]

Hi Juju

My weight loss had stalled on plan and when I went onto refeed quite above goal weight I lost quite a bit> My body responded to the extra food by dropping weight very well. In fact the first day or two on refeed I think I lost 1.7 from memory. Continued to loose until about day 13.

As far as loosing on maintenance it is too early for me to tell and I have also had an overseas trip which has thrown in some other factors.

I believe that my plan stopped working for me as my body chemistry changed so much. Definitely not a complaint - just an observation. Listen to your body and work with your consultant.

Shanara

[JuJu82]

Thanks everyone. I'm certainly more hopeful after your comments and after talking to my consultant.

Actually my consultant had a few really interesting points that I thought I would share. I have read in other threads that people are saying that refeed won't work unless you are at goal weight. While i certainly encourage everyone to to their best to reach goal weight before finishing, in some cases like mine it may not be entirely possible or advisable. I voiced this to my consultant and she said that in the US Dr Cohen makes every person do refeed every 12 weeks, as thier contract is only this long, so they have to complete refeed, then come back and pay again before they'll do another 12 week contract. So refeed will still work if you haven't entirley gotten to goal weight yet. If we had that here I would have had to complete 3 refeeds already! That fact made me feel a bit more confident!

Also on refeed you can continue to lose weight until you start combining protiens. Combining protiens actually stabilises your weight loss, so she said on maintenance if i want to try losing a bit more to not combine protiens, and keep the 5 hours between meals - and of course stick mainly to the original list of protiens, fruits and vegies. Also milk is made of protien and sugar, which is why we are not allowed it during the program, and in the process of making it into yoghurt the sugar is removed and the protien concentrated. So she said that having milk is also considered as mixing protiends.

i'm starting refeed today, and i'm looking forward to life on maintenance for a while. I'm getting married next April so i'm certainly motivated to lose that extra 5kg before my wedding! Shanara i hope i have the same experience as you during refeed and lose a couple more kilos

I have also begun incorporating light exercise and i'm loving it. I'm really focussed on toning up this fab body i have now in preperation of wearing my dream bikini this summer! I haven't been able to exercise for the past 2 years because i've had 3 slipped discs. The weight loss has certainly helped my recovery and its such a joy to be able to go for walks and swim without pain and numbness down my leg. Just another benifit of losing 42kg!

[fornight]

Juju - Thanks for sharing the information!!! It is definitely useful!!!!

[rowemob]

Hi,
I've been combining proteins and also adding new proteins since Day9 and am still losing weight (1.6kg) in that time (it is now Day14 for me) .
Cheers
Michelle

[hope_ful]

hi juju
how have u been going with maintaining and losing the last 5kg??

im doing the same thing and i find if i eat close to plan i lose but as soon as i have sugar i bolt straight up again and it takes a few days to drop it again.. i can lose with having a soy latte a day as well but i keep to one or two a wk, not everyday

xx

[kit]

Hey JuJU,

I realise that you have probably finished your refeed by now - but I thought that I would tell you that I started refeed a couple of kg's above my goal weight range as I was finding that my body was ready for it (not hungry, or craving anything like most people, but my insomnia came back big time!!!) I started refeed, and lost about 2.6 kg's while on refeed, well past the date of mixing proteins. The only time that I gained while on refeed (so much so that I had to go back 2 days) was when I got my wisdom teeth out and had to skip breakfast on the day of my operation!

so there you go, perhaps it is possible to mix proteins while on maintenance and still loose weight, though I suspect that it would be at a slower rate than when you are properly on the program!